


Swimming for Beginners

by literaryoblivion



Series: Tumblr Ficlets [59]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: M/M, Swimming, Teaching
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-01
Updated: 2014-09-01
Packaged: 2018-02-15 18:03:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,965
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2238318
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/literaryoblivion/pseuds/literaryoblivion
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The pack wants to go on a vacation to the beach, but Derek is resistant. Stiles figures out why and volunteers to help Derek learn to swim, for the sake of the pack. Probably.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Swimming for Beginners

**Author's Note:**

> I received the following prompt on Tumblr: "Stiles teaches Derek how to swim. Make it any backstory you want--but not established relationship. All I need is wet Stiles, wet Derek, lots of accidental touching that leads to incredibly intentional groping, wet kisses, and bodies sliding against each other."
> 
> The Tumblr post for this can be found [here](http://literaryoblivion.tumblr.com/post/93284427163/stiles-teaches-derek-how-to-swim-make-it-any-backstory).

Stiles always suspected that Derek wasn’t exactly fond of water ever since the pack had been at Lydia’s lake house and “someone” had “accidentally” knocked Derek into the water (okay so that someone had been Scott and Stiles and it wasn’t entirely an accident). He spluttered up to the surface flailing and roaring and so entirely pissed off. He had made an excuse about how his phone was still in his pocket and all this other things. But… the way Derek looked like a drowning kitten, Stiles is almost positive Derek can’t swim. He’s never asked or brought it up, and the pack has rightly steered clear of water activities.

That is until the summer they are all back together again after a year of college, and they decide to go to the beach for a week. There’s lots of other things to do at the beach besides just swim, so Stiles thinks it’ll be fine. Except that Derek is silent the entire time they are planning it and starts saying things like he’s not sure he can make it, that he might have to work, or he agreed to help a friend move that week. They all know none of it is true, and they all appoint Stiles to be the one to ask Derek what his deal is.

So he does. He waits till the pack leaves Derek’s apartment and he’s the last one left picking up plates and cups to take to the sink. It’s just he and Derek in the kitchen, and it’s a good a time as any…

"There a reason why you don’t want to come to the beach with us?"

Derek shrugs, busy his hands with rinsing off the plates. “You’d have more fun without me there anyway, what does it matter if I go?”

Stiles slugs him in the shoulder. “You know that’s not true. You’re part of the pack, an important part, I might add. You have to come.”

"No, I don’t."

"Yes, you do."

"No."

"Derek."

"Stiles."

Stiles sighs. “Can I ask you a question, but you have to promise you’ll answer me honestly?”

Derek lifts an eyebrow. “I guess?”

"Do you not know how to swim?"

Derek flushes, his gaze falling to the floor. After a few moments, he mutters, “Maybe.”

"That’s why you don’t want to come to the beach," Stiles says, not a question because he knows that’s exactly why Derek has been so uncooperative. Derek nods. "Okay, hear me out," Stiles says, "We have about a month until the trip still. I’m an excellent swimmer, well not as great as Jackson, but screw him. Anyway, I can teach you."

"You’re going to teach me out to swim?" Derek sounds incredulous.

"Yes. I mean at least the basics. It’s not like you’ll be the master of the butterfly stroke or something, but I can at least teach you enough to stay above water and not freak out."

"Fine."

"Yeah? Awesome. We’ll borrow Lydia’s lake house. Meet me there tomorrow around noon?"

"Okay."

~

When they meet for their first lesson, Stiles is prepared. He’s got those little boogie boards, a life preserve and jackets on hand, and he’s even got little floaties, but Derek refuses to put them on.

Derek’s okay in the water until he can no longer stand in it. Once it’s about chest high he gets nervous, and he gets as far as his chin before he can’t go in any further. So Stiles keeps him there, with the water at their chin. He shows Derek how to blow bubbles, and even though Derek complains and says he feels childish, he does it anyway. Stiles instructs him to turn his head to the side, to simulate breathing, and after they master that, Stiles tells him the next step is to learn how to kick while on his stomach in the water.

"I think I’ll just stand in the water and it’ll be fine," Derek says.

"Come on, Derek, you can do this. I’ve got the kickboard, plus I’m here."

Derek side eyes him, but he takes the kickboard from Stiles, grips it so tight his knuckles are white, and allows himself to drift a little further out.

"Okay, now you don’t have to lay completely on your stomach just yet, just kick your legs while you have the board in front of you, like this," Stiles says with his own board, kicking to propel himself a little further out from Derek.

Derek’s slow about it, but he does finally kick his way to where Stiles is. They get about five feet further than that before Derek shouts that he’s done and kicks his way back to the shore. It’s only the first day, so Stiles lets that be the end of the lesson.

~

It takes a few more days for Derek to get used to both laying on his back and his stomach in the water with the aid of the kick board. They practice arm movements while he’s standing, and is secure enough to put his face in the water. He knows all the parts, he’s just got to put them all together. It takes a week after that before Derek has the courage to lay on his stomach in the water without the boogie board. Well… Stiles has to have his arms in the water beneath Derek in order for him to feel secure, but it’s progress.

"Okay, just do the same thing you did with the boogie board, kick your legs."

"You’re going to stay with me though, right?"

"Of course. I’ll be right here."

Derek nods and stretches out in the water and starts kicking and moving his arms.

"You’re totally doing it!" Stiles cheers when Derek starts moving further out into the water. He swims in a circle, and Stiles continues to give Derek encouragement. He gets a little too excited though and at the end he slips under the water. Stiles pulls him right back up.

"You’re okay," Stiles says, patting Derek on the back as he coughs, his other hand on Derek’s chest. Once Derek’s got it under control, Stiles quickly removes his hands from Derek’s body and runs them through his hair.

"Did you see that?" Derek says, and Stiles’s heart melts at how excited Derek sounds.

"I did," he grins. 

"Let’s do that again."

"Yes, sir."

~

It takes a few more days before Derek decides to try to swim without Stiles as a safety net next to him.

"You sure?" Stiles asks.

Derek nods. “Yes. I think I can do it. Just… uh, stay close.”

"Always, big guy."

Derek wades a little further out in the water, turns on his stomach and starts swimming.

It’s pretty clumsy at first, and Stiles sticks close by and reaches out a few times when he thinks Derek’s might have slipped under or breathed in some water (maybe accidentally grazes his groin a few times when he did too). But Derek swims around on his own, getting more confident the more he does it. 

He swims right up to Stiles and pops out of the water right in front of him, splashing Stiles. Derek’s smile is huge and he looks so proud of himself.

"I did it!"

Stiles claps. “I knew you could. Now to just—”

Suddenly Derek pulls him into a tight hug, cutting off his sentence.

"Thank you," Derek says near his ear.

Stiles wraps his arms around Derek’s torso and squeezes back. “You’re welcome.”  They stand like that for a few moments, chests pressed together, slick skin against slick skin. It’s nice and warm, and Stiles thinks he could get used to the feeling. He gives his back a pat before Derek loosens his hold and puts some space between them.

"Come on," Stiles says. "Try it on your back this time."

~

It’s been a few weeks, and Derek is pretty confident when it comes to swimming. He doesn’t feel the need to have Stiles close by him, and he’s even swam a little underwater. They’ve stuck pretty close to the shallow end during all of it though, and Stiles thinks it’s time to take it further in.

"You’ll be fine, Derek. You got this. I’ll be swimming next to you out there and back, and I’ll tie the preserve to my ankle just in case."

"Okay."

They pick a large rock sticking up above the water to swim to, and as much as Stiles wants to make it a race, he doesn’t and stays in line with Derek the whole way. Once at the rock, Derek grips it to pull himself up a little.

"Should we go back?" he asks Stiles.

Stiles shrugs. “We can if you want. Or we can practice treading water out here for a little bit and then go back?”

"Alright. Yeah, let’s do that."

Stiles is already treading water, so he gives Derek’s grip on the rock a look. Derek finally lets go and treads water. They keep drifting closer to each other, occasionally bumping their knees or legs against each other as they kick their legs to stay afloat. They both chuckle when it happens, and Stiles tries to shift backwards a little, but Derek keeps following him.

"Are you doing that on purpose?" Stiles says when Derek’s leg kicks him again.

"No. Sorry. Did I hurt you?"

Stiles gives him a half-smile. “No.”

"Darn," Derek says.

Stiles splashes him in the face with water. “Jerk.”

Derek splashes him back, and when Stiles lifts his arms to get him back, Derek grabs them and pulls Stiles in towards him.

Now they’re incredibly close, and Derek has pulled his arms around him behind his back, and the way either of them are staying afloat is by their legs, which slide against each other with every kick.

Derek lets go of Stiles’s arms, but Stiles keeps his arms around Derek, his hands feeling the muscles of his back move against his palms. It seems like that’s exactly what Derek wanted Stiles to do because he smiles and wraps his own arms around Stiles.

It’s almost like their hug from before, only so much different because they are both mostly underwater with nothing below their feet.

"Uh, hi," Stiles says to break the silence because they’ve been holding on to each other and staring at one another for what seems like a while now.

Derek smiles, lets out a huff, which Stiles is pretty sure is supposed to be a laugh. “Hi.”

"You seem to be doing okay out here…" Stiles says.

"Well I’ve got you. You’re a pretty good teacher."

"I know," he says, sounding smug.

"Besides, I knew how to swim."

Stiles’s face falls. “What?”

"I knew how to swim before, I just haven’t been able to ever since we were in the pool…with the kanima."

"Oh. That… that makes sense."

"But, I’m glad you taught me, helped me not be afraid. I think…" Derek lifts his hand to cup Stiles’s cheek, rubs his thumb along his cheekbone. "I’m glad it was you… both then and now. Thank you, Stiles."

Stiles closes his eyes, lifts a hand to put it over Derek’s, and smiles. “You’re welcome, Derek.” When he opens his eyes, Derek’s so close, his face inches in front of his. He looks down at Derek’s lips, parted and wet from the water.

Derek notices and smiles. “Stiles?” he whispers.

"Yeah?"

"Can I kiss you?"

"God, yes."

Derek chuckles before pulling Stiles in and closing the distance between them, slotting their lips together in a kiss.

~

The pack beach trip is a great success, only Stiles and Derek keep sneaking off, and every night on the trip they wade out into the ocean to race but just end up making out under the moon.

**Author's Note:**

> Come say hi on [tumblr](http://literaryoblivion.tumblr.com) or [twitter](http://twitter.com/lit_oblivion).


End file.
